cleared his throat in a loud and theatrical manner. Since that drew no attention he raised his voice.
'Anybody here?'
He heard a flap of slippers behind a velvet curtain, the curtain was pushed aside and a young man with exuberant hair and a pink and white face, peered round it.
'Terribly sorry, my dear,' he said. 'I didn't hear you. I had an absolutely new idea and I was just trying it out.'
He pushed the velvet curtain farther aside and Craddock followed him into an inner room. This proved to be unexpectedly large. It was clearly the working studio. There were cameras, lights, arc-lights, piles of drapery, screens on wheels.
'Such a mess,' said the young man, who was almost as willowy as Hailey Preston. 'But one finds it very hard to work, I think, unless one does get into a mess. Now what were you wanting to see us about?'
'I wanted to see Miss Margot Bence.'
'Ah, Margot. Now what a pity. If you'd been half an hour earlier you'd have found her here. She's gone off to produce some photographs of models for Fashion Dream. You should have rung up, you know, to make an appointment. Margot's terribly busy these days.'
'I did ring up. There was no reply.'
'Of course,' said the young man. 'We took the receiver off. I remember now. It disturbed us.' He smoothed down a kind of lilac smock that he was wearing. 'Can I do anything for you? Make an appointment? I do a lot of Margot's business arrangements for her. You wanted to arrange for some photography somewhere? Private or business?'
'From that point of view, neither,' said Dermot Craddock. He handed his card to the young man.
'How perfectly rapturous,' said the young man. 'C.I.D.! I believe, you know, I've seen pictures of you. Are you one of the Big Four or the Big Five, or is it perhaps the Big Six nowadays? There's so much crime about, they'd have to increase the numbers, wouldn't they? Oh dear, is that disrespectful? I'm afraid it is. I didn't mean to be disrespectful at all. Now, what do you want Margot for – not to arrest her, I hope.'
'I just wanted to ask her one or two questions.'
'She doesn't do indecent photographs or anything like that,' said the young man anxiously. 'I hope nobody's been telling you any stories of that kind because it isn't true. Margot's very artistic. She does a lot of stage work and studio work. But her studies are terribly, terribly pure – almost prudish, I'd say.'
'I can tell you quite simply why I want to speak to Miss Bence,' said Dermot. 'She was recently an eye- witness of a crime that took place near Much Benham, at a village called St Mary Mead.'
'Oh, my dear, of course! I know about that. Margot came back and told me all about it. Hemlock in the cocktails, wasn't it? Something of that kind. So bleak it sounded! But all mixed up with the St John Ambulance which doesn't seem so bleak, does it? But haven't you already asked Margot questions about that – or was it somebody else?'
'One always finds there are more questions, as the case goes on,' said Dermot.
'You mean it develops. Yes, I can quite see that. Murder develops. Yes, like a photograph, isn't it?'
'It's very much like photography really,' said Dermot. 'Quite a good comparison of yours.'
'Well, it's very nice of you to say so, I'm sure. Now about Margot. Would you like to get hold of her right away?'
'If you can help me to do so, yes.'
'Well, at the moment,' said the young man, consulting his watch, 'at the moment she'll be outside Keats' house at Hampstead Heath. My car's outside. Shall I run you up there?'
'That would be very kind of you, Mr -'
'Jethroe,' said the young man, 'Johnny Jethroe.'
As they went down the stairs Dermot asked: 'Why Keats' house?'
'Well, you know we don't pose fashion photographs in the studio any more. We like them to seem natural, blown about by the wind. And if possible some rather unlikely background. You know, an Ascot frock against Wandsworth Prison, or a frivolous suit outside a poet's house.'
Mr Jethroe drove rapidly but skilfully up Tottenham Court Road, through Camden Town and finally to the neighbourhood of Hampstead Heath. On the pavement near Keats' house a pretty little scene was being enacted. A slim girl, wearing diaphanous organdie, was standing clutching an immense black hat. On her knees, a little way behind her, a second girl was holding the first girl's skirt well pulled back so that it clung around her knees and legs. In a deep hoarse voice a girl with a camera was directing operations.
'For goodness' sake, Jane, get your behind down. It's showing behind her right knee. Get down flatter. That's it. No, more to the left. That's right. Now you're masked by the bush. That'll do. Hold it. We'll have one more. Both hands on the back of the hat this time. Head up. Good – now turn round, Elsie. Bend over. More. Bend! Bend, you've got to pick up that cigarette case. That's right. That's heaven! Got it! Now move over to the left. Same pose, only just turn your head over your shoulder. So.'
'I can't see what you want to go taking photographs of my behind for,' said the girl called Elsie rather sulkily.
'It's a lovely behind, dear. It looks smashing,' said the photographer. 'And when you turn your head your chin comes up like the rising moon over a mountain. I don't think we need bother with any more.'
'Hi – Margot,' said Mr Jethroe.
She turned her head. 'Oh, it's you. What are you doing here?'
'I brought someone along to see you. Chief-Inspector Craddock, C.I.D.'
The girl's eyes turned swiftly on to Dermot. He thought they had a wary, searching look but that, as he well knew, was nothing extraordinary. It was a fairly common reaction to detective-inspectors. She was a thin girl, all elbows and angles, but was an interesting shape for all that. A heavy curtain of black hair fell down either side of her face. She looked dirty as well as sallow and not particularly prepossessing, to his eyes. But he acknowledged that there was character there. She raised her eyebrows which were slightly raised by art already and remarked:
'And what can I do for you, Detective-Inspector Craddock?'
'How do you do, Miss Bence. I wanted to ask you if you would be so kind as to answer a few questions about that very unfortunate business at Gossington Hall, near Much Benham. You went there, if I remember, to take some photographs.'
The girl nodded. 'Of course. I remember quite well.' She shot him a quick searching look. 'I didn't see you there. Surely it was somebody else. Inspector – Inspector -'
'Inspector Cornish?' said Dermot.
'That's right.'
'We were called in later.'
'You're from Scotland Yard?'
'Yes.'
'You butted in and took over from the local people. Is that it?'
'Well, it isn't quite a question of butting in, you know. It's up to the Chief Constable of the County to decide whether he wants to keep it in his own hands or whether he thinks it'll be better handled by us.'
'What makes him decide?'
'It very often turns on whether the case has a local background or whether it's a more – universal one. Sometimes, perhaps, an international one.'
'And he decided, did he, that this was an international one?'
'Transatlantic, perhaps, would be a better word.'
'They've been hinting that in the papers, haven't they? Hinting that the killer, whoever he was, was out to get Marina Gregg and got some wretched local woman by mistake. Is that true or is it a bit of publicity for their film?'
'I'm afraid there isn't much doubt about it, Miss Bence.'
'What do you want to ask me? Have I got to come to Scotland Yard?'
He shook his head. 'Not unless you like. We'll go back to your studio if you prefer.'
'All right, let's do that. My car's just up the street.'
She walked rapidly along the footpath. Dermot went with her. Jethroe called after them.
